


Conjunction of Regulus and Algieba

by RaenUE



Series: Mandatory Medical Leave and others [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Azama is there, Character Study, Heavy Discussion of Death and Grief, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22688170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaenUE/pseuds/RaenUE
Summary: It’s an apparent closeness created by the limitations of our own perspective, a lie we tell ourselves because we can only understand, because we can only believe what we see before us.or: Caineghis and Greil go to the combination bathhouse and hot springs
Relationships: Caineghis/Greil (Fire Emblem)
Series: Mandatory Medical Leave and others [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1350403
Kudos: 3





	1. Tepid Waters

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning: there's stated nudity (I say they're naked and don't describe what that entails) and some non-sexual physical intimacy (ie. normal bathhouse activities), but nothing that's overtly suggestive or saucy. It's not really meant to be titillating given the focus of this piece and I think that you could argue that that aspect is more... pg/E10+/whatever, but if its something you don't want to see (or shouldn't be seeing), you'd best turn back now.

Despite not being a mage, Caineghis was one of the most frequent users of the Order of Heroes’ library. While most of the heroes who didn’t wield magic expected it to be filled to the brim with tomes, the collection of encyclopedias gathered from across the realms was surprisingly thorough in the subjects that they covered, and having recognized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the leader of a country -both in the need to devote his time to leading being lessened and the chance to read things he’d otherwise never have access to- Caineghis chose to spend his nights holed up in the library well after everybody else had gone to bed.

“You’re going to strain your eyes trying to read with so few candles.”

A smile crept across Caineghis’ face long before he pried himself away from the book he had buried himself in to see who had approached him in the dead of night, having no difficulty identifying the owner of voice that called out to him from the entrance to the empty library.

It was Greil, who likewise had few problems locating the lion king now that Caineghis had found a hobby to take up in his free time.

“What kind of person would I be if I accidentally exposed any youngsters to this material? The low lighting is for their safety.”

“Oh, what’s this? You’re reading something indecent? Let’s see…” Greil leaned forward to look closer at the book Caineghis had spread out on the table in front of him and frowned, “This is a history textbook.”

“Yes, it’s a chronicle of the past relationship between Nifl and Múspell, but to call its style of writing archaic is an understatement! If it weren’t for the book going all the way up to the present day, I’d’ve thought it predated time itself! Who knows what forbidden knowledge lies hidden within its pages, and more importantly, what it’d do to any impressionable minds!”

“I see Giffca still hasn’t yet taught you how to restrain yourself.”

“On the contrary; he’s trained me quite well.”

“He certainly didn’t get you to stop saying it like that.”

Caineghis laughed as he shut the book he had been reading.

“Anyways,” he said with a warm, slightly mischievous smile, leaning forward towards Greil, their faces now less than half a meter apart, “what brings you here?”

“Do I need a reason to want to see you?”

“No, not at all. It’s just been a while since you’ve gone out of your way to see little old me.”

“I do have one, though, if you’d like to hear it.”

Caineghis leaned back slightly, his interest now piqued.

“Oh? Do tell.”

“The summoner told me that you had cautioned them to not touch your hair since it was - _and I quote_ \- ‘as sharp as you were dressed’, so they gave me this.”

Greil placed a fist-sized jar which contained a cream-colored substance on the table.

“What is it?”

“Apparently, it’s a special type of soap that repairs hair, making it lighter and softer.”

“Ah…"

Without realizing it Caineghis reached back to touch his glorious mane, confirming what he already knew: it _had_ grown rough as he had neglected it in the past few months.

"That might be useful, I suppose. I don’t have much reason to allow my hair to be as coarse as it has become, and it would be nice for it to be softer, but why did they give it to you?”

“I asked, but they just gave me a sly smile and said that you’d probably need some help.”

Caineghis’ eyes narrowed.

“Do you think…?”

“You remember what happened when you were summoned, right? Kiran sent that monk from Hoshido to get _me_ the moment you appeared. I don’t think there’s much doubt in our summoner’s mind that we’re close, but I can’t tell if they believe we’re _close_ or if they want to play matchmaker for a bit.”

“…I’ve gotten the impression that they are inclined towards a certain degree of mischief, so it may very well be the latter.”

The two men shared a moment of silence.

“Speaking of which, Kiran did also say that Azama would be able to show us to the bathhouses they had found a few months ago if you were looking to try this out tonight.”

“Sounds like a plan. We haven’t spent much time together since coming here, have we? If you’ll help me, it’ll give us a lot of time to chat.”

Caineghis stood up, the smile on his face returning with a hint of mischievousness this time.

“And I don’t see much harm in humoring Kiran for a bit, either.”

* * *

They found Azama waiting in the cool summer air by the western gate, which sat close to the forest that encircled the castle. He raised an eyebrow at their approach.

“I was wondering who Kiran wanted me to escort,” he said with a resigned sigh, “I take it this your first time leaving the castle grounds on your own?”

“For both of us, yes,” Caineghis turned to Greil, who nodded in affirmation.

“Couldn’t he have given us a map?” Greil asked, “I feel bad for making you do this for us in the middle of the night.”

“I’m used to staying up late and was planning on heading over there anyway, but no, you-,” Azama paused, as if realizing something, “Has Kiran explained _anything_ about Askr to you two?”

“Kiran hasn’t spoken to me much outside of deployment orders.”

“Same with me.”

Azama groaned in frustration.

“Kiran’s supposed to do a monthly orientation for any new Heroes that had been summoned, but I guess they’ve been slacking off for the past… have you really been here for almost half a year, Greil?”

“Has it really been that long?”

Azama waited a beat before responding.

“I might have miscounted. Regardless, this path directly ahead of us will bring a hero anywhere they -or someone they’ve traveled with- have been before, but only if it’s a place that Feh has already authorized… so if you were wondering, ‘home’ is probably out of the question. I think the intent is to make it harder for heroes to simply disappear, but… you guys at least know about your contracts, right?”

“Even if we could get back home, we can’t exactly go AWOL while those are still in place, right?”

“Yeah. Let’s walk and talk,” Azama turned and lead the two men down the trail through the forest, “There was an incident a little before you were summoned, Caineghis, where two Heroes had run off through the forest to the west.”

“I remember when that happened!” Greil exclaimed, “Sharena and Alfonse seemed really worried about it though, so maybe there’s nothing stopping us from leaving so long as our intent isn’t to desert for good?”

“I’ve been here for two years now and it’s something I’ve thought about quite a bit. I’ve asked Kiran,” Azama sighed, “but they always say something like ‘I can’t say for sure, why don’t you ask Feh’, but she prefers to keep us in the dark.”

A moment passed as the men continued to walk down the trail, the mixture of alders and oaks that lined the passage through the woods turning to dense northern Hoshidan Hemlock with rhododendrons forming a thick carpet in any areas where the harsh, midsummer sun would have reached during the day.

“I think she likes to remain afloof,” Caineghis said with a smug smile.

Greil chuckled at Caineghis’ pun, but Azama sighed again, a bit louder this time.

“Have either of you been to a bathhouse before?”

Both men shook their heads. There had been a few public baths in Zarzi, but neither men had ever had the opportunity to use them.

“I don’t think there’s much to explain. It’s just… public baths, really. This one has a hot spring attached, though, so if that’s something you’d be interested in it will be open.”

The path turned to the left and suddenly opened up to reveal a building that appeared to be of Hoshidan construction, with a tall fence running off to their right, deeper into the forest that surrounded the building.

Azama let out a sigh -one of contentment this time- as he lead the two men around towards the entrance of the building, where they could see that instead of being an isolated building deep in the woods where they were to disrobe -in front of a relative stranger, no less- the establishment was simply on the edge of a moderately sized town. It was after sundown so there was nobody else out and about and consequently nobody to verify the legitimacy of the business, but the bathhouse was by all appearances an unassuming and completely normal part of this village.

“It’s been a while since I’ve treated myself, so I think I’ll be heading there after I’m done. It’s late, so it’ll probably just be us, and quiet hot springs sure are something else…”

Azama slid the entrance open and -clearly delighted at the idea of finally letting himself relax- said, in an uncharacteristically upbeat, almost singsong voice, “How’s business, Nanase?”

A young lady -a Hoshidan named Nanase, apparently- was sitting at a raised desk which seemed to serve as a concierge counter for the bathhouse as she absently flipped through a book with a bored expression on her face. She didn’t look up as the three men approached, either disinterested in the prospect of having to deal with customers or the prospect of having to deal with Azama in particular.

“You already know the answer to that. Ask again and you’ll be banned for life.”

“Hey! As a peace offering, I brought you some customers this time!”

As Nanase looked up, Greil raised an eyebrow, concerned.

“Oh, I’m afraid I didn’t bring my wallet. Kiran had called them public baths so I-”

“Nah,” she waved her hand in the air, as if to physically dispel Greil’s concerns, “If you’re with the Order of Heroes we have a partnership with them. It’s good money and it’s nice that they’re, if I’m being honest, overpaying for unlimited monthly access even if all three hundred of you would show up as often as Azama did,” Nanase sighed, “but it’d be nicer if Azama wasn’t our only regular customer.”

Azama let out a wistful sigh.

“Kids these days have no appreciation for the finer things in life. When I was young-”

Nanase slammed her book shut and glared at Azama, her bored indifference replaced by a fire in her eyes and a scowl on her face.

“And tell me, Azama: which ‘kid’ breaks her back every day making sure you still have a bathhouse to come to?”

“You do! Of course!” Azama cowered away from Nanase as he shielded himself with his arms, taking a step away from her as his tone took several steps towards terrified, “There’s no need to demonstrate your judo skills, I understand the errors of my ways and will be appreciative of the effort you put in to taking care of this bathhouse forevermore!”

Apparently appeased by Azama making a show out of groveling, Nanase gave him one last look of contempt before she turned to Caineghis and Greil, gently smiling as she directly addressed them for the first time.

“That aside, has Azama explained the services we offer?”

Greil shrugged.

“He mentioned a hot spring, but nothing else.”

“That’s about it. While you’re bathing we _could_ wash your clothes, but from what Azama’s told me, that’s already handled by somebody at your castle.”

Caineghis looked to Greil, who shrugged again.

“I don’t think that’ll be needed,” he said.

“Then you’re good to go. The men’s baths are over there,” Nanase gestured towards a curtained door to her left, “Azama can show you where the soap and whatnot is. We’ll be open all night, so take your time.”

“Thank you, Dame Nanase.”

“Azama, why can’t you be as polite as… come to think of it, you didn’t introduce me to your friends, did you?”

Azama looked away from her piercing gaze

“I figured I’d let them choose to introduce themselves if they wanted to. Is that a crime?”

“If you’re the one doing it? Sure.”

“I’m Caineghis, of Gallia.”

“I’m Greil. You may have met my son Ike.”

“Hm… blue hair, frowns a lot?”

Greil chuckled.

“That sounds like him.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Caineghis and Greil. If you end up needing anything extra, don’t be afraid to ask.”

* * *

The changing room for the men’s bath was large enough to easily accommodate the three men, and the number of benches and wicker baskets made of bamboo that were stored away in the cubbies that lined the wall betrayed that peak hours for the bath saw far more than their measly group of three.

Greil and Caineghis were barely through the door before Azama had already made his way to the basket of his choice and relocated it to the nearest bench.

“Nanase’d be mortified if she found out you were a king,” he said, beginning to shed his outfit.

Caineghis took one of the baskets out of its hole and set it on one of the other benches. Peeking inside, he saw that there was a towel, folded so it fit perfectly in the bottom of the basket, atop of which sat a bar of soap and small jar of some teal, viscous substance not unlike what was in the jar Greil had.

“Were you planning on telling her?”

With his back to the other two men, he unclasped his mantle and began to fold it, moving on to removing his belt and robe once that was done.

“It might make for a good story if her parents drop by soon, but I think she’ll eventually figure it out on her own.”

“Does she run this place by herself?” Greil asked as he sat down on a bench and began to remove his boots.

“Her parents own the place, but she usually has some friends help out if they’re not around.”

“She seems like a nice young lady.”

“She… can be, yes.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Greil chuckled, “Care to share it?”

Azama laughed.

“It’s not so much of a story so much as her not being the most patient person and me continuing to do things that know I shouldn’t.”

There was a lengthy pause during which Caineghis could feel his perception of the kind of person the monk was physically shift in his mind, and from Greil’s silence, he seemed to be undergoing the same thing.

“I… see,” Caineghis eventually broke the dead air in the room, “What’s in this container?”

Caineghis held up the jar.

“Hm? Oh, the one in the basket? It’s shampoo, a type of soap designed for hair.”

“Would you know what this one is, then?”

Greil held up the jar Kiran had given him.

“That looks like conditioner. You’re supposed to let it sit in wet hair for a few minutes, and then once you wash it out it’ll be as smooth as silk.”

“You sure know a lot about soap,” Greil said.

“I grew up with a guy whose family ran an apothecary, so we received herbal products as gifts quite a bit, including fancy soaps.”

“That must have been nice,” Caineghis said.

“It was! My formative years were the most fragrant parts of my life!” he puffed out his chest, “That aside, who gave you that jar, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Kiran wanted me to pass it on to Caineghis.”

The rustle of fabric from the corner of the room where Azama stood came to an abrupt halt, and Caineghis and Greil both turned to see him standing still, his body visibly tense.

“This… might be a strange question, but did they overstep any boundaries?”

He was facing away from them, so his expression couldn’t be read, but Caineghis and Greil could feel the fatigue in his voice.

They shared a look.

“No.”

“Not really.”

Azama sighed.

“If they do, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

“Has it been that much of a problem?”

“Not yet, apparently. I just… worry, you know? Someone their age shouldn’t be given the task that’s been pushed onto them, and I’m always afraid that today’s going to be the day where it becomes too much. Civilians weren’t meant for this kind of responsibility.”

Caineghis glanced over at Greil, who looked… distant.

“That’s… valid,” Greil asked, “How old are they?”

“They were nineteen when they were summoned, so I guess they’re still nineteen now.”

Greil blinked.

“What do you mean by that? _‘Still’_ nineteen.”

“It might have been difficult for people our age to notice, especially in the short time the two of you have been here, but I mean that people who were summoned don’t age.”

Caineghis stopped halfway through putting his folded clothes into the basket.

“ _What?_ ” the two of them said, almost in unison.

Azama was quiet for a moment.

“I don’t know how it works, but we just don’t age. You’ve met Nino, right? She’s been here for two and a half years, and she hasn’t changed a bit. With someone like Fae or Tiki or Nowi, they’re dragons so I don’t think a few years would mean much to them, but between Rebecca, Nino, Raigh, Sanaki, Sophia, Donnel and Roy, who have all more or less been here since day one, you’d think one of them would’ve hit puberty or at least a growth spurt or something. But they haven’t. Not a single inch of growth.”

Azama must have noticed that the two of them had been quiet, because he finally turned around to see them staring directly at him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offload any existential horrors onto you or say something alarming,” he blurted out, clearly flustered at his own faux pas, “I’m sure you’ve noticed that time’s weird in Askr, right? I think it’s just something Breidablik does to compensate for that. I mean, speaking of Raigh, he was apparently the first person summoned, before they had even gotten Breidablik to work, and his twin, Lugh, looks exactly the same even though he came here two and a half years later. It might try to do that so when someone is sent home they can be sent back to the time when they were summoned as the same person they were when they left, or even just so there isn’t a gap in the timeframe between heroes from the same worlds.”

‘No gap in the timeframe between heroes’? That-

“You seem to have thought about this a lot,” Greil commented as he returned to undressing, having only just finished folding his cape.

“You need a clear head to meditate, so I have to answer anything that I’ve been holding onto before I can.”

“Ah.”

Caineghis finished putting his clothes and the basket they were now safely folded within away inside the cubby he had retrieved the basket from and unfurled the towel that had been in it moments before, spreading it so it lay across his lap as he sat on the bench. All he could do was wait for the other two men to finish disrobing; Greil still had his undershirt and undershorts and Azama still had…

He had no idea what Azama had left to remove.

He had never really taken the time to notice it before, but Azama’s outfit was complex, perhaps even needlessly so. Then again, even among the Beorc of the Order of Heroes, that was somewhat of a recurring theme with most of the Hoshidans, wasn’t it? They seemed to favor lightweight armor that covered a few vital parts -if they even wore armor at all- and at times it seemed like they valued the aesthetics of their outfit more than its ability to protect them from harm. Was it simply an aspect of the Hoshidan culture, and there were ways in which they valued form over function throughout other parts of their lives? Or was this simply an oddity amongst its military, as Nanase’s outfit seemed rather standard and not particularly showy?

Whatever it was, it meant that they’d probably be waiting for Azama to finish before moving on to the baths.

He turned to Greil just as he removed his undershirt.

He turned to Greil just as he removed the only thing hiding his back from the world.

He turned to Greil just as he gripped the front of his undershirt and pulled it over his head, the muscles in his back stretching as his arms extended towards the sky.

As the years had gone by, he had forgotten what Greil’s back had looked like, but he hadn’t forgotten how much he loved it. Even if he had only spent most of the past decade missing the _idea_ of it, now that it was right before him, as beautiful as it was years ago, it was almost too much to bear.

He wanted to run to him, and hold him from behind.

He wanted to stand there with him, skin to skin, flesh to flesh.

He wanted to wrap his arms around him and hold him tight to his chest.

He wanted to feel the muscles in his back twitch and flex as he kissed and nibbled on his neck.

But he didn’t.

He didn’t do any of that.

He had learned how to control himself by the time they had first met, and that hadn’t changed in the time since.

He couldn’t do that now.

He couldn’t do that here.

He couldn’t do it so suddenly.

He couldn’t do that in a public space.

He couldn’t do that in front of somebody else.

He couldn’t do it with so many things left unsaid.

So he waited for the other two men to finish.

As he only had one thing left to remove, Greil was done a moment later. As he wrapped his towel around his waist and the moved to put his belongings into a basket of his own, he glanced up and upon realizing that he was being watched, flashed Caineghis a smile.

Caineghis blushed, but returned the smile with one of his own.

He _had_ been staring, hadn’t he?

It had been a while since they had been around each other in this capacity, so it wouldn’t have been hard for Greil to guess why his eyes had wandered to and then rested upon the mercenary’s body, but…

If it had been so long, why wasn’t he just relieved to see Greil?

Why couldn’t he just be happy?

Why did it feel wrong to be here, with him again?


	2. Heating Up

Azama finished shortly thereafter, obviously more familiar with his own outfit than Caineghis could ever hope to be, and he led the two men past another curtain and into the men’s bath.

Immediately they were assaulted by a wall of thick steam and it took a moment for Caineghis to adjust to the drastic change in humidity, visibility, and temperature.

Azama remained unfazed by the steam as he pointed towards the two walls that ran along the length of the room; the one to their right had a half dozen or so windows with frosted glass, and the one on the left had a fresco that depicted several distant fishing boats beneath a sun setting on the ocean. Below each wall sat a long, tile-covered bath that extended the entire length of the long room. The light blue tile of the bath -which stood in stark contrast to the dark basalt stones that paved the floor in the center of the room- extend down and then across the floor before curling around a lip that protruded from the ground, forming a low, empty basin on the floor next to the bath.

“Along both walls are the bath part of the room. The general procedure is to take one of these stools and one of the buckets-”

Azama gestured to the stacks of wooden stools and wooden buckets that sat by the door they just came through.

“-draw water from the upper bath and bathe in the lower part, but since it’s late and we’ll probably be the last customers tonight, you can use the upper level to rinse off without worrying about getting in anybody else’s way.”

“Is that one of those things that you mentioned you shouldn’t be doing?” Greil asked, stifling a chuckle.

“Probably!” Azama laughed, “While it’ll make getting the soap out of your hair a breeze, Caineghis, it’s up to you if you want to do that.”

Caineghis thought back to how genuinely afraid for his life Azama had been just a few minutes before.

“I _might_ like to come back here in the future.”

“That’s a smart answer. Nanase’s going to take a liking to you.”

He then gestured towards a pool of steaming-hot water that had filled a square hole in the center of the room. There was a wall on the other side of it from which pale green water lazily flowed out along a square spout and into the pool below, which was made of the same dark wood that formed a small platform around the edge of the pool.

“And while I’d personally recommend using the one outside, which you can get to by going through the door on the other side of the wall, that in the middle there is an indoor hot spring.”

The water was a foggy pale green, like someone had taken a lime and ground up the entire rind, and then done that over and over and over to the point where they’d be able to taint the entire spring.

“Is that what a hot spring is supposed to look like? The water is…”

“Oh, the color? Yeah, that’s normal. There are minerals in the water, and that and the heat are supposed to have rejuvenative effects on the body,” Azama shrugged, as nonchalant as ever, “But I wouldn’t recommend drinking it. Made that mistake once and…”

Azama’s face distorted in disgust at the memory.

“ _Bleh_ , I think the flavor is better left to the imagination. That’s about it so I’ll be leaving you two to your own devices, but if you need anything else explained, just let me know.”

Azama gave them a short half-wave, half-salute gesture and then grabbed a stool and bucket and made his way to the other end of the room.

Greil grabbed a set of his own, dropping his soap, shampoo, and the conditioner in the bucket as he turned to Caineghis.

“So…”

“So.”

“How do you want to do this?”

“I’m not cleaning my hair in the bath, especially when I don’t know how much I’m going shed this time.”

“I meant more along the lines if you wanted help with anything.”

“Oh,” Caineghis said softly, his eyes darting to Azama before he continued, “I could use some assistance with my hair, and with scrubbing my back, I suppose. It pains me to admit that I’m not as flexible as I used to be.”

Part of him wanted to do more.

Part of him wanted to ask for more.

Part of him wanted Greil’s hands to roam all the way across his body, to share himself with Greil to the greatest possible extent.

Part of him wanted to be anywhere but here.

And he ignored all those parts, especially the last.

“Oh, for a second I was afraid you were going to work me to the bone.”

Caineghis stepped around Greil to grab a bucket and stool.

“Then don’t make offers you don’t want to follow through on,” he said, turning his head back as he walked over towards the bath on the right, “next time I’ll be sure to get my money’s worth.”

He set the stool down, placed his towel and soap on the edge of the bath, and filled his bucket with water. The water was warm, but not quite hot enough for any wisps of steam to rise up off of it, though in a room already filled with steam he couldn’t be entirely sure.

He lifted the bucket and doused his flowing fire-red hair, filled the bucket again, and then sat down, facing the wall.

He felt Greil stare, and even if he didn’t feel his gaze, he would have known he had been staring.

“Are you going to stand there all night? These glorious locks won’t wash themselves.”

Greil sighed from over by the door, and then brought a stool over and sat down next to Caineghis. He placed his soaps and his towel up on the lip of the upper pool, just as Caineghis had, and filled his bucket.

“It’s just… been a while, you know?” he said, smiling.

“Mmm.”

“So. Would you like me to wash your hair, or skip straight to the conditioner?”

Caineghis thought for a moment.

“I washed it thoroughly this morning, so going right to the conditioner should be fine. Would you mind if we start with that?”

“Fine by me.”

Caineghis turned on his stool so he was facing away from Greil, and Greil moved into position behind him, dragging his own stool across the slick wet tile.

There was a moment before anything else happened.

There was a long, drawn out moment as Greil reached over and picked up the conditioner from the side of the bath, a long, drawn out moment as he unscrewed the cap, which let out a soft ‘pop’, and a long, drawn out moment as he scooped some conditioner out.

If it weren’t for the massive amount of hair in the way, Caineghis was sure he would have been able to feel Greil’s breath on his back.

“It’s… oily. More than I would have expected. Would you like some for your beard?”

“Oh? That would be nice.”

Greil’s arm, holding the container of conditioner, emerged from the right side of Caineghis’ peripheral vision. He grabbed the jar, which was nearly empty, and the arm retracted out of view.

“Thanks. Are you goings to need more?”

“Probably not. I’ve already grabbed a king’s share, so-”

“One of these days your tongue is going to work you into a situation you can’t get out of.”

He hadn’t quite snapped at Greil, but he could feel the other man grow still.

He hadn’t meant to say that so firmly, but… he was tense, and the joke hadn’t gone well with his mood.

Caineghis didn’t wait for Greil to react and scooped what remained of the conditioner into his hand. After examining the viscous substance for a moment, he rubbed his hands together to evenly spread it out and massaged it into his facial hair.

“I’ll be more careful then. Is it alright if I start?”

“Go ahead.”

The long moment it took for Greil to process Caineghis’ consent, the long moment it took for Greil to decide how to start, the long moment it took for Greil to start running his hands through Caineghis’ hair, working his way up…

Those moments dragged out, and his hesitation laid bare the reality between them.

Greil was just as uncomfortable in this situation as Caineghis was.

Caineghis knew he could probably guess why, but he wouldn’t try to.

It would be for the same reasons as with him, but why delve deep into unpleasant lines of thought that wouldn’t lead anywhere worthwhile? Why make this trip any more awkward than it already was?

Greil’s hands continued to massage the conditioner into Caineghis’ hair, and Caineghis shut his eyes.

Even outside of Giffca’s watchful eye, Caineghis always made sure to maintain his appearance so there were no knots for Greil’s fingers to snag on, but there was still a lot of hair and he kept his fingers close together like a fine-toothed comb, so there was a slight tug that pulled his head back.

When was the last time he had allowed someone to do something like this?

To place himself into somebody else’s care and relax?

He and Giffca had been increasingly busy over the past four years, with Giffca spending more and more time outside of Zarzi to do things on his behalf, so… maybe five years ago?

When was the last time he and Greil had done something like this?

That must have been a little before when Mist had been born, when Ike was starting to grow older, and Caineghis had wanted Greil to spend more time with his family. He loved Mist and Ike as if they were his own children and would have loved to help Greil and Elena take care of them, but in the end Caineghis was preoccupied with Gallia and it fell on Greil, as their father, to raise them alongside their mother.

They still spent time together, but things like this? Things where-

“I think I’m done.”

Greil interrupted Caineghis’ reminiscing.

“I didn’t get the hair by your ears since you didn’t like being touched there, but other than that…”

Caineghis absently rubbed what little conditioner he had left on his hands into the area that Greil had avoided and turned back towards the raised pool of water and the mural that stood behind it.

“Thank you, Greil.”

“I’m glad to help.”

As he swapped the empty jar of conditioner for the soap that he had placed on the edge of the upper pool, Caineghis noted that it was an odd detail for Greil to have remembered after so long.

His body was still wet from when he had doused his hair earlier, so he got to work on washing it.

But it wasn’t _that_ odd, was it?

It may have been over a decade and a half since it had last been relevant to Greil -and even longer since he had last brought it up- but hadn’t he himself just been dwelling on moments in their past? Was it really _that_ unusual for Greil to have remembered something from long ago when it was relevant to what he had been experiencing?

But even it was something to expect, it confirmed what he had suspected.

Even if they had maintained their distance from each other both in Tellius and in Askr, it confirmed what he had suspected.

Even if they hadn’t said those few words to each other, not even once in the past twenty years, it confirmed what he had suspected.

Greil had never forgotten about him, just like he hadn’t forgotten about Greil.

“How’s Giffca?”

“He’s doing pretty good. Do you remember Skrimir?”

“Your rowdiest nephew?”

Caineghis laughed.

“The very same. We’ve decided he’s to be my successor when that day comes, so Giffca’s been spending time making sure he’ll be fit to lead. I don’t envy him, but Ranulf was there to help keep Skrimir in check during the campaign against Begnion.”

“Ranulf? Wow, that name takes me back! He really climbed the ranks, didn’t he?”

“Indeed! He even helped your son and Elincia quite a bit during Crimea’s repatriation. I couldn’t send Giffca until they reentered Crimea, but Ranulf acted on my behalf several times over their journey.”

“I’ll have to thank him if he’s ever summoned.”

Caineghis stopped soaping up his body.

Why would he wish that upon anyone?

“Did I say something wrong?”

Greil looked over towards him, having also stopped.

“It’s nothing,” he mumbled as he resumed washing his body.

Greil shrugged, and went back to bathing.

It wasn’t nothing, but he was starting to get ridiculous.

He should stop performing needless detective work, he should stop holding Greil under a magnifying glass, trying to analyze his every action, his every word.

Caineghis finished applying soap to the areas of his body that he could reach, so he turned to Greil.

“I can wash your back while you finish up.”

“Thanks.”

Greil turned away from Caineghis, and Caineghis got to work on his back.

Greil was his own person, someone with his own wants, needs, and values.

Nothing would change if he let things remain as they were.

But did he want things to change?

“Do you enjoy being here? In Askr?”

Greil bent forward to wash his legs, and Caineghis leaned further towards him to keep his back within reach.

“I guess? It’s nice to have steady work, and even nicer that that work is relatively safe. I’m with my family, and we don’t have much to worry about so... yeah, you could say I do enjoy being here.”

He leaned back up and turned his head back to Caineghis.

“I’m done if you’re ready to switch.”

“Mhmm.”

They swapped positions, and after Caineghis pulled his hair off of his back and over his shoulder, Greil got to work.

“How about you?”

Caineghis thought for a moment, though it was more to reconfirm his stance with himself than to find a stance to hold.

“No. Not at all. I’m not fond of being forced to participate in things against my will, much less being forced to fight for some cause I have no stake in.”

As Greil’s scrubbing slowed to a near stop, it became certain that he had picked up on the subtext of that sentence.

“…I hadn’t been thinking, sorry. That was out of line of me to ask.”

“No, it’s quite alright. I haven’t had anyone to vent my frustrations to.”

Greil remained silent as he finished Caineghis’ back.

It was the kind of silence where it felt like he wanted to say something.

Perhaps he felt Caineghis was mad at him? He _was_ a little miffed at how Greil could have asked something so careless, but he understood that Greil hadn’t meant any harm. It didn’t make up for his faux-pas completely, but… since it was Greil, was willing to let the rest go if Greil did too.

Maybe he was debating the value of insisting on apologizing again.

Maybe he was thinking of a way to help the situation.

Maybe he was reliving, relishing in a memory of his past, as his hands drew closer and closer to the patch of velvet fur that surrounded the area where Caineghis’ stubby, vestigial tail emerged from the base of his back and rested upon-

Maybe _he_ shouldn’t complete that line of thought.

“It feels like you want to say something,” Caineghis said, trying to get his mind focused on literally anything else.

“…Maybe we can speak to Kiran about it? They’ve been reasonable about-“

“I don’t see the point,” he interrupted, “They continue to summon more and more people here, without any regard for what their wishes may be.”

Caineghis let out a grunt.

“Heroes _this_ , heroes _that_! All Askr cares about is accomplishments and might, it doesn’t care about the very real people behind them, and Kiran allows themselves to be the driving cog in that machine. They are contract-bound to protect Askr, yes, but no part of their contract requires them to continue to pull people into this conflict.”

“…Yeah. I… wasn’t thinking.”

Of course he wasn’t.

Again.

Greil finished, and they both got up.

As Caineghis filled his bucket, it felt heavier than before.

Was he physically tired? Or emotionally drained? Had the heat been getting to him? Or perhaps the humidity?

Greil followed suit, and they began to rinse themselves off.

The water was as warm as before, and the soap flowed freely off of their bodies. The used water splashed on the blue tiles below them, before settling down and running towards a drain in the wall to their side. The conditioner was a bit more tenacious, but after a few rinses it too gave up its grip on his hair and allowed itself to be washed down the drain.

He took his hair and brought it back over his shoulder, where he gently wrung the water out of it. It took some time, but once it was all out, Caineghis was immediately able to feel the difference it made.

It was as smooth as silk, maybe even smoother. Even with the moisture that remained it felt lighter than before, and as he brought it back behind his head he noted that he’d want to get more of this ‘conditioner’ at some point.

A glance over at Greil confirmed that he was already done drying off, so he grabbed his towel and wiped down his body, hastily wrapped it around his waist, tossed everything that remained on the edge of the pool into his bucket and picked it up along with his stool.

“Are you ready?” Greil asked.

Caineghis nodded, and they proceeded to the other side of the wall on the far side of the room.

Against the other side of that wall was an area to stack the used stools, another area to place the used buckets, and a few small baskets fastened higher up on the wall, where a sign instructed them to put any containers and used bars of soap.

Directly across from there was door with a patterned curtain, just like the one they had gone through to enter this room. Next to the door was a posting which detailed proper etiquette for bathing in a hot spring, and there was a light breeze blowing through the space beneath the curtain, so, despite their unfamiliarity with the repeating circular symbol on the curtain, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that this was the entrance to the hot spring Azama had told them about.

Caineghis noted that there was only one stool and only one bucket on the ground.

“It seems Azama already went ahead.”

“Looks like it.”

They sorted their items into the proper places and proceeded beyond the curtain into the cool night air.

They were as close as they could be as they passed through the door, but Caineghis couldn’t help but feel like they had never been further apart.


	3. Boiling Over

The path to the hot spring cut through a dense bamboo forest. A tall wall stood to their left, probably to divide the men’s path and spring from the woman’s, and along their right stood a series of stone lanterns which illuminated the path. The sky remained clear, though when Caineghis glanced up he found unfamiliar stars that were befitting this unfamiliar land. Even the moon looked… incorrect.

He hadn’t been put on many nighttime assignments, but he’d never get used to that feeling.

He’d never want to get used to it either.

While it only took them a few minutes to reach the spring, the walk over was silent aside from the distant sound of running water and the sounds of their footsteps on the stones that paved the path.

Caineghis took some small comfort in the fact that he had taken the lead and that Greil was behind him.

He wanted to enjoy this trip, and he wanted to enjoy it with Greil, but if he couldn’t stop examining his every action, his every word, maybe it was best to have him out of sight and out of mind.

Of course, by pondering that he had already failed to focus on something else.

The spring came into view as they reached the peak of a small hill and Caineghis slowed down.

Azama wasn’t there.

“…Maybe he’s still bathing?”

They couldn’t have seen Azama from behind the wall by the exit and while Caineghis hadn’t thought to check before they left, Greil’s tone suggested he hadn’t either.

“That’s probably it.”

He shrugged and resumed his approach of the hot spring.

The monk was… whimsical. It wasn’t worth the effort to try to puzzle through what he might be thinking or planning, because often he hadn’t been doing either.

Regardless, they had reached the spring.

The steaming-hot water in the outdoor spring was the same limestone color as the water in the indoor spring, though instead of the edge of the pool being constructed out of wooden planks, this time the water was enclosed by large rocks. Several of the rocks had been chiseled away to have a flat surface on top instead of a rounded dome, including the large stone that the path lead to. That stone seemed to be where they were supposed to enter and exit the water, so perhaps the others were for placing things, such as their towels?

Caineghis took a step up onto the ledge and peered into the water. He hadn’t gotten a good look at it before, but it was almost completely opaque. If he disregarded the color, it wasn’t too dissimilar to looking at milk tea, though that connection made Azama’s warning from earlier flash again in his mind.

It seemed safe enough, so he removed his towel, tossed it on a rock to the side, and climbed in.

“Ohhhhhhhhhh…”

The water was only up to his waist here, but the heat felt good and he let out a low groan.

“You alright?”

“Yeah. It’s…” Caineghis took a moment, relishing in the feeling, “Azama was right,”

He moved further in the spring as Greil climbed in behind him.

The water was up to his chest now, and it felt heavenly.

He had spent plenty of time in saunas before, but this was beyond comparison. The water had a weight to it that no amount of steam could hope to produce, and it was like he was being massaged all the way to the bone.

Caineghis continued until he reached the far end of the spring, his hair flowing behind him as the water grew deeper and deeper. There was a ledge a little under a meter underwater that seemed to run all the way around the spring, and he turned to sit on it, catching a glimpse of Greil moving to do the same thing on a different side of the spring.

He let out another contented sigh as he spread out on his ledge, the water coming up to his neck as he leaned back.

The steam had no particular odor, and it kept the cool night air away…

Such was the marvels of Hoshidan engineering, it seemed.

It was so easy to relax in the water, as it enveloped him and melted his tension away…

Maybe going through all the trouble of coming out here

hadn’t been such

a bad idea

after

all…

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


.

..

…

Caineghis woke with a start.

“Yes! Yes yes yes!”

He was standing on an altar of sorts, one that was on roof of a building -perhaps a castle?- and open to the sky. There was someone in front of him adorned with a white cloak with bronze accents, shouting as if they had just won some tremendous prize. Behind them stood an impatient-looking red-haired beorc woman and a man wearing a ceremonial outfit of some kind, his eyes shut and his bushy brown hair erupting from behind the headdress that he wore.

“Are you done with summoning for today?” the woman asked the cloaked individual.

Summoned?

He had been summoned?

“Yeah,” they turned to the man beside her, “And Azama, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Only for you, summoner.”

From the man’s tone of voice he seemed displeased with something, but did that make the person in the cloak the one who had summoned him?

They watched the two others leave the roof and then turned back to Caineghis, a warm smile on their face.

“Sorry, looks like I got ahead of myself again,” they laughed awkwardly, “I’m Kiran and this is Askr. I’m working here as a summoner, which is how I brought you here. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, being suddenly pulled from Tellius, but…”

Kiran went on to explain the current situation in Askr, how he was a ‘Hero with a capital H’, and everything that entailed. The contract, the rules, the responsibilities, and everything else that was now forced onto him without him having any say in the matter.

Caineghis wasn’t happy with it.

More than anything else, he needed to return to his duties in Gallia, but they had an explanation for that too.

“Sorry, but it’s not… okay, so first things first, it’s not like you’re… missing in Gallia right now. Time here is… it’s traveling in a different direction. Not parallel, but more… skewed. Like this.”

Kiran held up both hands in front of their face, and traced two lines with their index fingers, one going upwards and one heading away from their head.

“So keeping in mind that this is mostly just theory, if you mapped the timelines of two variants of one world, normally they would travel in parallel, and every variant of that world would do so too, forming a single ‘sheet’ of that world. Then, other discrete worlds form their own sheets with their own variants, and while these sheets may be flowing in other directions-”

Kiran held their hands out, one on top of the other this time.

“They’re layered on top of each other.”

“Variants? I’m not sure I follow.”

“Oh, uh… so you hail from Tellius, right? Every variant of Tellius has certain ‘core’ constants which set it apart from other lands that aren’t Tellius and allow it to give rise to itself. I don’t know for sure what they might be, but if I had to guess, it’s the continuing presence of the divine into the modern day, as-”

They took a deep breath.

“Sorry, I’m getting distracted. Basically, think of it as different worlds that nonetheless have a number of similarities. Askr runs… perpendicular to all of that. It fits in between the holes you’ll have when looking from the top, and while it doesn’t touch, it comes close enough for limited interactions between the worlds.”

“And how does that-”

“While in Askr, you’re not moving in any direction that would displace you when you’re returned to Tellius.”

“And why are you not sending me home now?”

Kiran made a face, as if there wasn’t a good reason for keeping him here.

They clearly didn’t have a good reason for keeping him here.

He frowned, and Kiran took a deep breath, an action that Caineghis recognized as preparing to make some half-baked excuse.

“We need all the strength we can get, and… speaking personally, I hold a tremendous amount of respect for you and your leadership skills. There are other people here from Tellius, and from what they’ve said about you, even if you weren’t to set foot on a single battlefield, we’d appreciate basically all of your skills.”

He was getting angrier and angrier, and was losing interest in trying to hide it.

Kiran began to shrink away from him and assume a more defensive posture.

They were panicking, their happiness from moments before having disappeared without a trace.

“-But it’s not as if you don’t get anything out of it! I can promise that our library contains the most extensive set of books that you’ll have ever seen, and you’ll have the chance to speak with leaders and gain perspectives you couldn’t get elsewhere. You’ve met Queen Nailah by now, right?”

How would they know that? Was she trapped here too?

“Think of it as something like that, except with more people. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, so-”

“Kiran! Azama told me you wanted to see me?”

A voice called out from behind Kiran, a voice called out from down the stairs.

A voice Caineghis knew well.

A voice Caineghis hadn’t heard in close to four years.

A voice Caineghis last heard scream in pain as a divine sword pierced its chest.

A voice whose owner climbed up the stairs and into sight.

“…Greil.”

“Caineghis.”

…

..

.

  
  


  
  


  
  


…An unpleasant memory.

Caineghis didn’t really want to be here, in this situation, and even less so in Askr. Even if Kiran had been correct about how time (and, according to Azama, the lack thereof) worked here, even if Kiran had been correct about how Askr presented opportunities that he could benefit from with literally no cost to himself or anyone else, he didn’t want to be here.

He had no obligation to these people.

That was simply the reality of the situation.

And yet he couldn’t return to Gallia.

He wasn’t allowed to, and it infuriated him.

“Hey.”

Greil’s tone was reluctant, almost reserved, and, still more than a little grumpy from the dream he just had, Caineghis wasn’t excited to hear what he was going to say.

“Hm?”

But it wasn’t about what he wanted, was it?

“I think we need to stop pretending that everything’s fine.”

Great.

Caineghis sank deeper into the hot spring, allowing the water to come up to his chin.

He didn’t want to talk about this, to dredge up these feelings again, these feelings he had sorted through and buried back in Tellius.

“How so?”

“I _died_ , Caineghis. I died after I ran away without explaining anything. Surely that’s worth at least some discussion? Surely there are things you want to ask me, to satisfy your obligations to your country if not to satisfy yourself?”

Caineghis submerged himself further, the water almost to his nose.

What was there left to discuss?

“Please, ‘Ghis! Say something! Anything! We can’t keep going like this!”

‘ _We?’_

“I know you’re upset at me-“

_Just ‘upset’?_

“I know I messed up-“

_Just ‘messed up’?_

“But I can’t take it anymore! I can’t-“

“AND I CAN’T EITHER!”

Caineghis yelled, his voice booming though the night as he shot to his feet, the water around him erupting to make way for his massive body.

He was sick of hearing this, and as he glared at Greil, that feeling only grew stronger.

It had been a long time since he had been this angry. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to be this angry. He had to restrain himself when he was in Tellius because his actions would have irreversible consequences, but the only thing stopping him from tearing into Greil right now was the nonaggression clause in their contracts.

He had no choice, and that only made him angrier.

“You think that you can come back into my life after dying? You didn’t _just_ die, Greil! You didn’t _just_ die after running away, you didn’t _just_ die after not explaining anything! That makes it sound like you suddenly left your kid with your parents so you could elope! You knew Ashnard would turn Tellius on its head to find the medallion and instead of talking to literally anybody in order to find a good way to keep it out of his hands, instead of trying to find a way to warn any of the nations that you were endangering that Daein might attack, instead of returning the medallion to the remnants of the Heron tribe where it belonged, you did the one thing that would ensure that Daein would invade Crimea and that Crimea wouldn’t be prepared to stop them. You did the one thing that would ensure that Daein would be in a position to turn to Gallia next and we’d have to deal with them too!

“Maybe despite all that we _could_ have made this work, maybe we _could_ move past everything that’s happened, but _can_ we? Can we really?

“Can I reconcile what you did to Elena, can I reconcile how you allowed that to happen knowing full well how dangerous the medallion was with the man I loved? Can I reconcile you running from Gallia, avoiding responsibility for what happened, avoiding facing the costs of your actions with the man I loved? Can I reconcile with you willingly walking into a fight you knew you couldn’t win and dying in front of Ike’s eyes, in front of the eyes of the boy I loved as if he were my own son, can I reconcile with you choosing to die right in front of my own eyes, mere hours before we were slated to see you again?”

Greil flinched.

Apparently he hadn’t heard about that part.

But Caineghis continued nonetheless.

“How deep must my love for you run for me to forgive everything that you’ve done? How deep must my love for you to run for me to forgive every death you’ve caused? Before being summoned I was content with accepting that nothing could have been changed, I was content with telling myself that I had accepted that nothing could have been done different, I was content with burying my feelings for you from doubts to anger to affection for the sake of moving into the future, but now that you’re here in front of me?

“Now that you’re here in front of me, I have to confront that nothing about you has changed. You’re the same man who always ran away from his problems, whether it be Daein, the Medallion, or killing your own wife and scarring your son for life. Was being impaled your way of getting out of your commitment to take care of Elincia?”

Caineghis’s voice grew louder and louder.

“I wanted to keep pretending, I wanted to keep lying to myself, I was willing to hold my tongue to pretend that this could work, but no! You needed to call attention to the elephant in the room! You needed to highlight why it we can’t make this work right now!

“Have you looked at your son? Have you stopped to look at what Ike has become because of you? I loved him as if he were my own son and you’ve destroyed him! You just _had_ to thrust him into a role he wasn’t prepared for and, and, and-”

He emotions reached a breaking point and Caineghis let out a deep roar of frustration, a roar of anger that came from the deepest parts within him to pierce the silence of the night.

Everything was still for a moment.

“I loved Elena, I loved Ramon and Renning, I love Ike and Mist, I love Gallia, and even still I love you, but…”

He took a deep breath.

“I want to be able to let you back into my life, but until I find a way to reconcile with all the ways that you’ve hurt what I love, I need you to stay out of it.”

Caineghis waited another moment.

Perhaps Greil had some sort of rebuttal, some sort of excuse, but if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t care to hear what Greil had to say.

Greil had his chance to say something in the years they spent together in Gallia, and Greil had his chance to get in touch with him in the decade they had spent apart in Tellius, and Greil had his chance to say something in the months they had spent together in Askr, and he never took those chances.

As he leapt through the air and transformed into a lion, intending to make a mad dash back to the bathhouse, it occurred to him that he hadn’t really been looking at Greil. He had been so mad, so deeply and utterly angry, that despite his eyes being on Greil for the entire time, he didn’t register that Greil was there. He hadn’t been paying attention to Greil at all: he had been staring right through him and for all he knew Greil had been trying to speak to him the entire time.

Maybe if he waited he would have calmed down and heard how Greil would defend himself.

But Caineghis was tired of waiting. He was tired of being patient. He was tired of being patient with the Order of Heroes, with Kiran, and with Greil.

Maybe this was just him lashing out, frustrated with everything that had been forced upon him here in Askr, and maybe he would cool down given enough time, and maybe he would come to regret what he had said, but in this moment it felt good to let loose and release his feelings, and in this moment he cared about nothing more.

  
  


\-----

  
  


After confirming that it was unoccupied (hardly a surprise, given the time of night), Azama had climbed over the wall into the women’s bath to give Caineghis and Greil some space and to have some space of his own. He wasn’t supposed to be on this side of the fence, but if nobody else found out and nobody was affected by it, wasn’t it basically a victimless crime?

He had been under the impression that they were romantically involved, and he hadn’t been given any reason to believe otherwise. From the way Greil looked at Caineghis while on the battlefield to that one night in the Aether Resort last spring where he caught a glimpse of them sharing a bed, all signs pointed towards them being _together_ _,_ but after Caineghis’ outburst, it became clear that there was far more to their relationship that what could be seen on the surface. They had a lot of baggage, both personal and interpersonal, and he suspected that he hadn’t even heard the half of it.

Maybe it had been a mistake to leave them alone, but… Caineghis had a lot to say, and emotions like that wouldn’t stay dormant for long. It was only a matter of time before something lit the fuse, and tonight it just happened to have enough sparks flying for it to finally happen.

It took a moment to process what had happened, but once his brain got going again, Azama knew he needed to take responsibility for letting that opening occur.

He grabbed his towel, wrapped it around his waist, and rushed back into the baths.

  
  


  
  


Azama was out of breath by the time he reached the lobby, but he managed to get a few words out before he collapsed against the reception desk.

“Has Caineghis left yet?” he wheezed.

Nanase jumped at the wet, nearly nude man slamming into her desk, but her surprise quickly turned to anger.

“You better have a good reason for being on that side of the building and tracking water into my lobby, Azama,” she roared as she got up from her chair and approached him.

He took a few steps back before he hit the wall behind him. She had him cornered, so diplomacy was his only option.

“I wanted to give them some space. It’s the first time they’ve had the chance to be together in months. Has he left?”

“No. Why?”

She seemed to be momentarily appeased.

“Stuff got rough and I wanted to make sure he was alright.”

“What do you mean by rough? _Did they do any_ _thing to my springs?_ ”

“No, no, it wasn’t physical, they just-”

“We had a bit of an argument, that’s all,” Caineghis interrupted as he walked out of the men’s changing room, having finished getting dressed.

The difference from when they entered was staggering. Caineghis was by no means a small man, nor was he by any means someone who came off as timid, but the man who came through the doorway was immense. Titanic. Monolithic. Not much had changed, but the subtle change in posture, in how furrowed his brow was, in how he held his head a bit higher and stared at you a bit more intensely, in how his frown was a bit firmer… all of it built up to turn him from a man who exuded a firm but fatherly aura to someone who stuck a deep, primal fear in the hearts of those who saw him.

Caineghis was a king and he wanted to make sure you to knew it.

It was like how animals would make their hair stand on end or puff out their chest to appear larger and more threatening, except _this_ was Caineghis’ default state and knowing that he had been holding back all this time made it all the more daunting.

This was a man Azama had fought alongside countless times in the past half year and the sheer intensity of him right now, as a person, was like staring into the sun.

“I-” Azama started an apology, but Caineghis cut him off.

“I know where you were, Azama. I suppose you meant to give us some alone time? Do you think that went well?”

“That not… it’s not my place to comment on what’s happened between the two of you, but… I’d still like to speak with you before you leave, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Caineghis’ eyes narrowed.

“Why should I?”

Every part of Azama’s brain screamed out for him to run, to hide away from the enraged king before him, but he summoned all of his willpower and stood his ground.

“Because I’m your best shot at convincing Kiran to give you what you want. If you’re going to be stuck here, it might as well be something you have a chance at enjoying, no?”

Caineghis stared at Azama for a moment. His gaze was cold and the contempt he held for him was overwhelming.

“Get dressed before I change my mind.”

Azama blushed, having forgotten that he was effectively naked.

He gave a quick bow and ran into the men’s changing room.

“We’re not done, Azama!” Nanase called after him as he ducked past the curtain.

“I’m not leaving just yet, Nanase,” he called back, not checking to see if she had heard.

His clothes were right where he left them -not that they’d’ve been moved this late at night- and as he rushed to put them on he could hear bits and pieces of a conversation between Azama and Nanase.

“I’m sorry that…”

“No, it’s… going to happen anyway…”

“Did you…”

“…no, I enjoyed… plan to…”

“Ah! That’s…”

“I’d like to…”

“We’d be glad...”

Nanase and Caineghis’ voices died down.

It seemed like Caineghis had said his piece and stepped outside.

Had he left? Or was he just waiting?

Azama finished up in record time and went back to the lobby.

“He’s outside,” Nanase said, having returned to her book.

“Thanks.”

“Azama?”

“Yes?”

“Next time you come I’ll be expecting something to make up for the stunt you pulled today.”

“Sure thing.”

“Don’t you mean ‘yes ma’am, won’t happen again’?”

He chuckled.

“That too.”

Azama gave Nanase a quick wave and left the building.

Caineghis wasn’t outside.

Great.

It had been a couple minutes since Caineghis had left, which was enough time for him to make some progress back to the castle.

It was also enough time for him run off into the town here and disappear like Lugh and Iduun had last spring.

Which way did he go? Which way should Azama try to pursue?

  
  


No, the answer was obvious.

He went around to the back of the bathhouse and broke out into a light jog down the path.

He was going to return to the castle, and if he caught up with Caineghis along the way, then they’d chat about what needed to be done. If he already made it back, they’d talk in the morning, or whenever Caineghis decided to take him up on his offer. And if Caineghis hadn’t returned to the castle? If he had chosen to go somewhere else, like Idunn had months earlier? If by some means he managed to he never come back?

Kiran would be upset, and Anna and Alfonse and Sharena wouldn’t be pleased, but…

Azama would be happy for Caineghis, for him finally being able to do whatever it was that he needed to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! My notes got long because there was a lot I wanted to cover, so you can find them [here](https://pastebin.com/bPEF93FC)


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